Flash Gordon (1980 movie)

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Flash Gordon

Release Date	December 5, 1980
Genre	Science Fiction, Fantasy
Director	Mike Hodges
Screenwriter	Alex Raymond (characters) Michael Allin (adaptation) Lorenzo Semple Jr. screenplay
Stars	Sam J. Jones Melody Anderson Max von Sydow Timothy Dalton Brian Blessed Ornella Muti Peter Wynngarde Topol
Studio	De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (production) Universal Pictures (US theatres)

The 1980 film Flash Gordon stars Sam J. Jones in the title role and also features Melody Anderson as Dale Arden, Topol as Dr. Zarkov, Max von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin, Brian Blessed as Vultan, Ornella Muti as Aura, and Peter Wynngarde as the masked henchman, Klytus. Rocky Horror Picture Show fans also note the appearance of Richard O'Brien in the small role of Fico.

Although not a critical success, the film has earned the status of a cult classic due to its campy humor, flamboyant costuming, and colorful visual effects. The film’s soundtrack, composed and performed by the rock band Queen, has earned a reputation as one of the best rock & roll soundtracks ever produced.

1 Plot
2 Continuity Problems
3 Revealing Mistakes
4 Also see

Plot

The movie tells the story of a football player and his friends who travel to the planet Mongo. With the fate of the Earth in their hands, they must fight the tyrant Ming the Merciless.

Continuity Problems

When Princess Aura is showing Flash how to fly the ship when they are traveling to Arboria, she tells him, "The left lever controls direction, and the right controls altitude." Moments later, while still flying, Flash gets mad at Aura for not showing him how to use the thought amplifier, so he shoves the left lever forward. The ship responds with a nose-dive.
When one of Ming's guards looks through a porthole of the ship, it seems that he is just outside. The next shot reveals a crowd of guards, but they are behind the ship and far away from the capsule.
During the fight between Flash and Prince Barin, the cuts on both men from the whips (especially the cuts on the face) change positions and sometimes disappear altogether.
In the same fight, Flash's shirt (which he wore in Aboria) goes from clean to dirty and back to clean.
Also in the same fight, some of the spikes on the fighting platform can be seen folding under both Prince Barin and Flash's body as they fall on them (watch closely: the scene changes quickly), clearly showing that the spikes are made of rubber.
During the wedding sequence, Prince Barin is roaming around Ming's palace. He is at one end of a corridor when he shoots one of three guards who appear from around a corner at the opposite end. When we next see him, Prince Barin and the remaining two guards have switched positions, with Prince Barin now standing over the body of the guard whom he initially shot.

Revealing Mistakes

In the shot of the Ajax cruiser after the Hawkmen have taken it, it is seen with a swarm of Hawkmen following it. During this shot, the superimposed Hawkmen are not composited in for the first frame.
When Flash and company initially arrive at Ming's palace and see the floating orb droid for the first time, the three wires holding it aloft are clearly visible. Later, as it floats down the hallway, two holes punched in the extended pieces can be seen where the wires are threaded through.